Three South Londoners in the final four of Masterchef tonight

The original 60 contestants have been whittled down to just four on MasterChef – and three of them are from South London.

Battersea interior designer Claire Fyfe, 35, financier Thomas Frake, 32, from Tooting, and banking security manager David Rickett, 31, from Greenwich, will be up against Sandy Tang, from Reading, in the finals tonight and tomorrow.

In tonight’s episode, they are in Mauritius. One of them has to go on Thursday night. The winner will be announced on Friday night’s show – the end of their eight-week journey.

Claire, 35, from Nine Elms, has made the odd miss-step – her lamb was so underdone it might have started chewing the salad.

One contestant will be sent home and their dream of raising the MasterChef 2020 trophy will be over. 

Judge John Torode has dubbed her “One to watch” and described her veal dish as  “ precise” and “exceptional”. 

For her traditional Italian dish of veal and tuna, she added her own twist by adding a salsa verde and slow cooked fennel – which Torode said was inspired.

One of Claire’s biggest fans is Jane, a woman she knows from her local Waitrose in Nine Elms. “But I have seen other people do a double-take while I’m out running in Battersea Park,” said the trainee pilates instructor. “But then they go to themselves ‘Nah’.

“I know it sounds cheesy but cooking calms me. One of my best mates lives in Majorca so I’ve been going there for years. It would be lovely to be able to have a boutique hotel there or Minorca or Ibiza.”

John and Gregg Wallace are not so shouty off-camera, she says. “They were amazing to work with,” she said. “They are two of the loveliest men – and work so well together. I have been so nervous when cooking, but they calm you – they want you to do well. And I have been so overwhelmed by the response.

“My favourite bit was working at Simon Wood’s restaurant in Manchester. I take my hat off to them – I’ve sat and enjoyed food at restaurants but see the work that goes into them – and the fun, the patience – was incredible.

“I have so much admiration for anyone who does that.

“I have had to keep quiet about what happens. I haven’t even told my dad.”

As well as beating eggs, she also has to beat the opposition tonight. 

Thomas uses cooking as his creative weekend outlet. Judges have fed back that he’s a great cook who clearly understands what he’s doing and produces really well cooked classics.

He said: “During the competition, I started to feel more at home in the MasterChef kitchen than I did at
home. I think it comes from the validation you get from John, Gregg, the crew and other
contestants. Getting through to the Semi Finals gave me a huge boost in confidence. I felt
strangely comfortable around the judges. The only time John made me feel slightly nervous is
when he would do his walks around the studio, watching us work! But being judged by them is a
hugely positive experience. It’s incredible when they tell you why your dish good and that they
understand what you were trying to achieve.

“I grew up on classic cooking TV series, but the chefs that really stood out to me were Keith Floyd and Rick Stein. It wasn’t just about cooking food to eat, but about understanding culture, cuisine, method and flavour.

“I would one day love to own a gastropub, but I’m torn between a classic East End boozer or a picturesque country pub. I’m also passionate about storytelling and content, so also want to make documentary content about food, booze and people.”

David, a banking digital security manager, studied art at university so craves a creative outlet. He won high praise for his restaurant-standard presentation.

He said: “My parents won’t mind me saying this, but they aren’t the most
adventurous cooks! I was brought up on typical British food, which I love, but it was only when I moved
down to London that I realised just how many cuisines there were.
“My love for cooking only started three years ago when I tried a celeriac puree during my first ever visit to
a fine dining restaurant. I didn’t even know what a celeriac was, never mind how to cook it. From that
moment on, I was on a personal mission to learn more about food.

“My biggest ambition in life is to open a fine dining restaurant. The main aim of my restaurant would be to
ensure it was accommodating and accessible to everyone. I don’t like the idea of pricing people out and
making the restaurant experience pretentious for some. I want fine dining in a relaxed environment and at
affordable prices.”

MasterChef, The Finals, air Wednesday at 9pm, Thursday 9pm and conclude with the Final three contestants on Friday at 7.30pm, BBC One